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25 out of 32 people found the following review useful: A major leap forward for Australian film, 9 April 2007 Author: taylorsqr from Australia
Thank God somebody has made a film here that deals with something other than drug-ravaged Westie kids or face-pulling outback clowns. This is a lovely, intelligent, and thought-provoking examination of dreams big and small, and the dignity of aspirations, no matter what they might be. Brenda Blethyn and her ex husband Frankie J Holden are both wonderful in depicting the bittersweet lives of the never-quite-made-it entertainers. Their lives consist of fading theatre posters and anecdotes of past triumphs, as they now lead lives of unimaginable drudgery, she working in a canteen, and he as a security guard in a K Mart. That's the setup. Emma Booth appears, a life force of sexual energy and optimism, which fascinates their son and turns all their lives upside down. Without telling any more about the actual story, suffice it to say this is a film that works on every level. Emma Booth is a great new talent--at times beautiful and drop dead sexy, at other times as plain and unremarkable as any checkout chick--in other words, like a real girl from that background. Highly recommended.
26 out of 34 people found the following review useful: Laughed and cried, but mostly laughed, 5 April 2007 Author: unachela from sydney, australia
I recently saw a screening of this film under the title 'Introducing the Dwights'. Who knows what name it will have when it finally gets released in the US?This film is a charmer. The characters are all very authentic, and entirely believable, and the story is told with so much love and emotional depth. As a comedy there were many genuinely hysterical moments, particularly the awkward teen romance scenes, which could have easily veered into bad 'American Pie'-style territory, but instead managed to hit the mark. The story is one of family relationships and broken dreams, set in Sydney's Western suburbs. I laughed and cried, but mostly laughed.It's the type of film I could take my friends, boyfriend, little brother or mum to see, and I think they would all enjoy it.
16 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Comedy-Drama hits the right note, 28 June 2007 Author: rayclister from Australia
I have to say that I have not been entertained as much by an Australian movie since the early 1990's when Muriel's Wedding and Priscilla, Queen of the desert hit our screens. A very human drama of a working class family in Sydney's western suburbs that strikes the right note between comedy and drama which is often difficult to pull off. Brenda Blethlyn, playing the domineering Mother does so very well with the result that perhaps her character tends to grate a little by the end of the film but that was only after approximately two hours spending with her and not a life time that the characters around her have had to endure. She is perfectly cast in this role but for me the real stars were Emma Booth who plays the love interest of her son and Khan Chittenden her boyfriend and young man experiencing his sexual awakening. Also worthy of mention is Frankie J Holden as the father and ex-partner of the Blethlyn character. An entirely believable human drama that will have you totally engrossed in the characters until the final reel. How good it is to see that the Australian film industry can still put out such quality cinema with a universal appeal. Go see it you won't be disappointed!
9 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Authentic drama, 22 July 2007 Author: Philby-3 from Sydney, Australia
This movie is fast disappearing from cinemas, which is a pity, as it is an authentic Australian drama of some substance. Show biz personalities are notoriously lacking in self-confidence, unsuccessful ones even more so. Yet like the lead player here, they still tenaciously cherish the dream of making the big time against all the indications. Jean (Brenda Blethyn) is a British comedienne of the "nudge nudge, wink wink" variety who once appeared with the likes of Benny Hill, but who gave up her career to marry John (Frankie J Holden) an Australian crooner of country music. The marriage produces the brain damaged Mark (Richard Wilson) and shy younger son Tim (Khan Chittenden). John, reduced to being a security guard at a supermarket, moves out and Jean puts in long days at a works canteen to support her family while still trying to resuscitate her stage career with the aid of her sleazy manager Shane. These distractions do not prevent her from being very possessive of her babies and when 20 year old Tim becomes involved with the uninhibited Jill (Emma Booth) Jean's hackles rise.Perhaps if Jean displayed some real talent as a comedienne it would make up for the fact that she is actually not a very nice person. As it is, it's hard to feel sorry for her. Brenda Blethyn plays her all stops out, which is what the part requires, but it does verge on caricature. The rest of the cast are OK, with Emma Booth very appealing as the free-spirited Jill, but rather overshadowed by Brenda's Queen Lear (or perhaps it should be Queen Leer) act.The western suburbs of Sydney setting is well realised and one can almost smell those smoky leagues clubs where clapped-out British entertainers go to die. One reviewer has perceptively remarked that the movie is about letting go – of your impossible dreams, of your children now they no longer depend on you. In Jean's case her personality and circumstances have combined to make this exceptionally difficult, and it is this that provides the drama. Keith Thompson is a veteran TV writer with a good ear for the Aussie vernacular and he draws his characters from life. The romance between the shy Tim and bold Jill is a pleasant contrast to Jean's fulminations, but Khan Chittenden under-acts a bit. Rebecca Gibney, usually a glamour-puss, is amusing as one of Jean's permanently sloshed friends.If this was a made for TV piece, the critics would praise it to the skies, but as it is, it's just a decent drama. Watching it I wondered how Julie Walters or Anne Reid would have gone as Jean. Brenda Blethyn is a fine actress, but on this occasion the volume was turned up too loud.
19 out of 30 people found the following review useful: Warmhearted Tear-fest, 31 January 2007 Author: a-papke (a.papke@comcast.net) from Chicago
"Clubland" is a wonderful laugh-out-loud "dramedic" tearfest sporting an amazing tour de force performance by Brenda Blethyn who received a standing ovation at Sundance '07 for her remarkable portrayal of the aging mother desperately clinging to her handsome virginal son as he strives to build a romantic relationship of his own away from her controlling maternal influence. To reveal much more would be a disservice to this charming little film, but suffice to say that Blethyn turns in a performance that is transformative. She hits every note and takes the audience through every emotion in the human experience as we watch her arc from a cute upbeat "fun-mother" at the beginning to a mean, controlling, jealous, self-pitying witch - yet all the while, we love her dearly. This film continues the emerging tradition of strong Australian performances with solid acting from the entire cast. The "coming of age" element is likewise sweet and adeptly handled by the two gorgeous young stars. Brendan Clearkin gives a passionate and artfully understated performance as the alienated and powerless father who still chases his dreams of musical stardom. Finally, Richard Wilson issues yet another barn-busting standout supporting role, this time as the retarded brother who alone in the family has the intelligence to recognize the white elephant in the family room. Wilson is the comedic relief, the bittersweet soul, the character foil and the dramatic precipitant of the entire story; and he carries it off masterfully. Wilson is certainly destined to be a major star, and I cannot wait for him to appear in a leading role. Every character has a dream, and watching them strive towards it as reality comes crashing against them makes for one hundred ten minutes of warm and deeply moving entertainment.
4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: A truly nice indie film!, 29 November 2008 Author: Brian T. Whitlock (GOWBTW) from WILMINGTON, NC
I've seen quite a few indie films in my times. This one, "Introducing the Dwights" is a remarkable piece of work. Here you have a woman who's divorced, raising two sons: One is painfully shy around girls, the other who has special needs. The shy one named Tim, drives a moving van in Austrailia meets two lovely ladies: Kelly and Jill. Jill(Emma Booth) takes notice of Tim(Khan Chittenden) who clumsily approaches her. The sexual advances are making him awkward, and he later realizes he needs to put his past experience behind him. His mother works for a canteen during the day, but at night, she's a big hit at a local comedy club. She happens to be in a slump, because she's stuck in the day, and in serious need of reinventing herself. Both of her son have a certain someone. Tim's brother knows about Jill, and he's happy for him. Jill and Tim intimacy grows deeper and deeper by the minute. Looks like he's got him a soul-mate he can feel good about. A very good movie, great cast, and a great assortment of soundtracks to make it worthwhile. Don't care what the title is, I just love it!4 out of 5 stars!
10 out of 16 people found the following review useful: Almost, but not quite, 11 July 2007 Author: DSfilmreviewer from United States
This is a very annoying film. It could have been excellent but instead it is just adequate. There's a lot to like about it, the major plus being Brenda Blethyn's performance. Always a joy to watch as the woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown, she steals the show once again with her quivering bottom lip and comic timing, but we have seen a very similar performance from her in Secrets & Lies, albeit with less variation. Be careful Brenda! You're at risk of getting typecast. The biggest problems with the film relate to the script (underdeveloped, meandering, loose ends) and the two young leads whose performances are uneven, and that's being especially kind to Khan Chittenden who is no leading man. The other problem is this is formulaic in the Sundance way - family drama, quirky characters, conflict, joy, sadness and humor - not traits that are in themselves bad at all, but in this cinematic combination they come together and make it seem contrived, overly constructed and quite predictable. Is it still a decent film? Yes, if you can get past the first half hour which is very unpromising, but it's a wasted opportunity too.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Down to earth and touching Aussie drama, 29 February 2008 Author: Caroline Gordon from Australia
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Brenda Blenthyn and Khan Chittenden stole the show in this touching and down to earth drama. It's so great to see movies set in everyday Australian suburbs, just a shame we had to import the main character, I would have loved to see an Australian in that role. A few points in the plot were a little stretched, the wedding scene is so nice but are real people actually so deconstructed and aware of themselves to make such insightful comments at weddings - I've never seen it really happen. If you're scratching your head I'm talking about where she declares Emma Booth to be her always longed for daughter, after what has passed between them and her issues with Khan.
6 out of 10 people found the following review useful: I was not disappointed, I was just plain bored., 11 May 2008 Author: Gordon-11 from Hong Kong
This film is about a middle aged woman, who goes through life changes in her career and her family structure."Clubland" can hardly be described as a comedy. I did not find it a tiny bit funny. Not even the deliberate and contrived plot of Jeannie being a comedian could save it. It's simply not fun to watch Jeannie making everyone's lives miserable. The ending is rather bad, as Jeannie makes a complete change of heart for no apparent reason.I must say Brenda Blethyn is good, and Emma Booth is really beautiful. However, these strengths are not enough to save "Clubland" from being a complete bore.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Nice blend of pathos and humor, 3 March 2009 Author: btm1 from Ashburn, VA
I saw the film on TV with the title "Introducing the Dwights." I guess that is because the film is about the Dwight family. I think the original Clubland title is more descriptive, because the story involves entertainers who work the club circuit for little money.The family members that share a home are a divorced mother, Jean (Brenda Blethyn), and two sons. The boys father has his own home. The mother works as a cook at a diner but also has a career as a stand up comic. Before her marriage she had been something of a rising star in England, but moving with her husband to Australia and the birth of her children killed her career, which she is trying to resurrect. One son, Tim (Khan Chittenden), has a job as a mover, is still a virgin. Jean leans on him for support and is fearful that he is at an age when some girl will take him away from her. The other son, Mark (Richard Wilson) is slightly brain damaged but treated by Jean as if he is severely retarded. The father works as a security guard but is a singer who a long time ago had a single hit record.Although the parent's efforts to resurrect their careers is one thread, a second is Tim's "coming of age" problems. A third thread is spastic Mark, who also leans on Tim for support and is sort of bounced around like a cork floating in water. These threads are skillfully interwoven, with the major conflict being Tim's effort to get free from the mother he doesn't want to hurt.There are no dull moments in this movie. There is humor and pathos. I thought the acting is terrific, especially Brenda Blethyn and Richard Wilson.My only quibble is that I thought Tim's girlfriend and her room mate were too hip and too hot to be interested in the shy Tim. Perhaps Australian girls have a hard time finding decent young men.
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